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G. WESTINGHOUSE &, A. M. BOW.

METHOD OF HEATING LIB.

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976,966. Patented Nov. 29, 1910.

Witnesses.- a? N lnzmiam (0y. lama. a. w a M 1),, eiw M. n, All},

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE, OF PITTSBURG, AND ALEXANDER M. GOW, OF EDGEWOODPARK, PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNORS T0 SAID WESTINGHOUSE.

METHOD OF HEATING AIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 2, 1903.

Patented Nov. 29, 1910.

Serial No. 155,258.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Gsoncn Wns'riXonoose and ALEXANDER M. Gow, citizensof the United States, and residents, respectively, of Pittsburg and Edewood Park, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, havejointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods ofHeating Air, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to obtain heated air by the addition ofthe volume of air to be heated of the hot products produced in acombustion chamber, by the combustion of gas therein.

The invention is especially designed to obtain hot blast for use in asmelting furnace. \Ve are aware that it has been heretofore proposed toburn oil and add the heated products of combustion to the air to beheated. Vi'e do not propose the use of oil, but any carbonaceousmaterial which can be worked to advantage in a gas producer. Suchmaterial we propose to convert into producer gas and we also ropose toconsume this gas as fast as pr need in a combustion chamber over thefuel bed, the resulting hot products of combustion mixing with thevolume of air to be heated and raising its temperature to the desireddegree.

"We also provide means whereby the amount of gas made and the consequenttemperature of blast attained shall be at all times under control andshall, if desired, be automatically controlled.

The drawing represents a vertical section of a system of apparatusdesigned to carry out our invention.

Referring now to the drawings, '1 is a smelting furnace of any Wcll-luown type, for convenience we have shown a familiar type of waterjacketed furnace. E!- is the air supply pipe to this furnace, connectedby brai'ich pipes, 3, 3, to the twycrs, 4. 4, by means of which air isadmitted to the furnave hearth, The pipe 2 is connected to a gasproducer, 6, by means of pipes, 7 and S, and a. water-cooled valve, 9,is tu'ovidcd by which the connection between pipes T and 8 may beclosed. The gas producer (3 is of sullicicntsize to permit of: a largecombusliou chamber, 10, above the fuel bed in which spin-c we propose toburn the gases connect the gas producer 6 to the tubular prcheater, 13,and a valve, 14, is provided whereby pipe 11 may be 'cut off from pipe12. The tubular preheater 13 is connected by pipe 15 to a blower or fan,16, which supplies the air for conducting the smelting operation. Asmaller blower, 17, receives air by a shunt line, 18, from the main airline, 15, and discharges this air through pipes, 19 and 20, into thebottom of the fuel bed in gas producer 6. Steam is admitted from anyconvenient source ti; ough )ipe 21, the amount being regulated o uvaHvc,22. The top extension, 40, of the furnace is provided with a dampen 30,for permitting or preventing the exit of the waste gases therethrough.When this damper is closed, the waste gases from the furnace 1 passthrough a pipe, 2 and around the tubes, 24, 2'24, 24, of the tubularpreheater. The air to the furnace passes through these tubes andreceives a preliminary heating from the waste gases of the furnace. .-\nexhaust fan, 25, assists the discharge of the waste cases from thepreheater 13 through the stacr :26. Below the preheater 13 is provided achamber 2'6 for the catching of dust blown over from the smeltingfurnace. Doors, 28, 28, are provided for the removal of this dust.Between pipes 20 and 19 there is located a suitable valve. by which theamount of air discharged by blower 1'7 is controlled. T he gas produceris provided with the usual removable cover, 31.

The operation is as follows: Valves 9 and ii on either side of the gasproducer being opened and. valve 2%) closed, blower 16 is started, airpasses through pipe 15, through tubes 2 24, l i, oi the preheutor.through pipes 12 and 11, through mmbusiion chainher 10, through pipes 81and 7, into the air pipe 2 at the furnace and through pipes 3, throughtwycrs 4 into the furnace. Damper being closed, the waste gases passfrom the furnace through pipe 23 around pipes 24, 24;, 9-}, of thetubular prchoatur and are discharged through slack lit by means of fanThis circulation being, established, fan 17 is started, valve it! isopened, steam admitted by vulve and theproduction of: producer gasbegins in gas roducer 6. ll leaves the fuel bed but enough to ignite incombustion chamber in and its heat ol combustion is :uhlml in the volumeoi air pussevolvod in the proi'lucor. Pipes, II and 12,ing,r.-1isinglhi.--: \ollllm of air lo a Icmpvru tare dependent upon thevolume of gas made. This operation continues until thei body of fuel inproducer 6 has been reduced to such an extent that the producer requires1 to be recharged. Fans 16 and 17 are then I stopped, valves 9 and 14closed, cover 31 on I top of the producer is removed and a new charge offuel put in the roducer, when it is started up as before. T 1etel'nperature of the blast is dependent upon the amount of air passingthrough valve 29, inasmuch as l this valve controls the amount of gaspro- E duced. It is understood that the use of I steam is merely toprevent the clinkcring of the producer and insure its proper working. Ifdesired, the valve 29 may be controlled by a thermostat which will openthe valve when the temperature falls below the desired point and closeit to a greater or less extentas the temperature rises. The use of thetubular preheater 13 is not essential to this 5 method of heating blast,but it is desirable in case the waste gases leaving the furnace are ofsufiicienttemperature to warrant their use in giving the blast apreliminary heating to this extent eifecting an economy of fuel in theproducer.

In a divisional application filed by us September 17, 1903, SerialNumber 173,510, claims are made upon the apparatus described herein.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of heating air for the blast of a smelting or otherfurnace, which con- E sists in delivering all the air to a combustion 1chamber coincident with the delivery thereto of gas from a producer,utilizing a portion I of the oxygen of the air in the combustion ichamber in supporting the combustion of the gas, causing the products ofcombustion to mingle with the air, utilizing a portion of the waste heatof the furnace 1n preheating the air prior to its delivery to thecombustion chamber and delivering the products of combustion and air tothe smelting furnace.

2. The method of heating air for the blast of a smelting or otherfurnace, which consists in generating producer gas, rnim ling all theair to be heated with the prot ucer gas, utilizing a portion of theoxygen of the air to sup ort the combustion of the gas, mingling tieproducts of combustion with the air to be heated, utilizing a portion ofthe Waste heat of the furnace in preheating the air prior to itsmingling with the producer gas and then delivering )roducts ofcombustion and heated air to the smelting furnace.

3. A method of heating air for the blast of a smelting or otherfurnaewhich consists in generating producer g. burning the gas generatedso as to conserve the sensi ble heat of the generating operation,minghng the products of the combustion of the s as with all the air tobe heated near the uel bed and utilizing a portion of the waste heat ofthe furnace in preheating the air.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York,this 21st day of April, 190:2.

GEO. WESTINGHOUSE. ALEXANDER M. GOVV. \Vitnesses:

Wm. H. Carer, Geoucn H. STOCKBRIDGE.

